March, 2014

This. In this brilliant article, Bloomberg columnist Megan McArdle writes about a conversation with a young girl in 10th grade. This girl is so afraid of not getting an “A” that she is afraid to try anything new. In our current system of education, kids almost have to get a 4.0 to feel like they…

I don’t really know what to say in this post. I feel so frustrated that in this current society, we have to fight to let our children have a childhood. When did it become the norm to steal that from them? When did it stop becoming okay for a child to spend the day in…

Did you grow up having your mind blown by Carl Sagan and The Cosmos? I did. I can still remember the sleepy, dream-like state of my mind, stretching into the universe, brought on by that signature voice. There is only one popular scientist I’ve ever enjoyed more than good old Carl, and I can’t believe…

“Any parent who has punished a child by taking away TV privileges and then watched that child play–slowly at first, then imaginatively, freely–will recognize the connection between time, boredom, and creativity. ‘There’s something about television–maybe that it provides so much in the way of audio and visual stimulations that children don’t have to generate very…

“Public education is enamored of, even mesmerized by, what might be called silicon faith: a myopic focus on high technology as salvation. …The problem with computers isn’t computers–they’re just tools; the problem is that overdependence on them displaces other sources of education, from the arts to nature.” -Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods By…

It takes time–loose, unstructured dreamtime–to experience nature in a meaningful way. Unless parents are vigilant, such time becomes a scarce resource, because time is consumed by multiple invisible forces; because our culture currently places so little value on natural play.

“Too much directed attention leads to…”directed-attention fatigue,” marked by impulsive behavior, agitation, and inability to concentrate. Directed-attention fatigue occurs because neural inhibitory mechanisms become fatigued by blocking competing stimuli. As Stephen Kaplan explained in the journal Monitor on Psychology, ‘If you can find an environment where the attention is automatic, you allow directed attention to…

It is often said that education and training are the keys to the future. They are, but a key can be turned in two directions. Turn it one way and you lock resources away, even from those they belong to. Turn it the other way and you release resources and give people back to themselves.…

You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. — Stephen R. Covey I’ve been thinking a lot about my life and my priorities lately…my life over the past few…

You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage—pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically, to say “no” to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger “yes” burning inside. The enemy of the “best” is often the “good.”

About me

Welcome! I’m Ann. I’m blessed with one amazing husband and six incredible daughters. We have embraced unschooling, and this is a place to collect and share our thoughts with others who may be interested in a more natural way of learning for their family.